The Vedic Age is the “heroic age” of ancient Indian civilization. It is also the formative period when the basic foundations of Indian civilization were laid down. These include the emergence of early Hinduism as the foundational religion of India, and the social/religious phenomenon known as caste. This period of India’s history lasted from around 1500 BCE through to 500 BCE; that is, from the early days of the Aryan migration into north-west India through to the age of the Buddha. The Vedas, the Mahabharata and the Upanishads formed the foundational writings of the Hindu religion, which was gradually taking shape in the Vedic Age. They show that the ancient Vedic religion was evolving into something different. This was probably to a large extent the result of influences from the older Dravidian populations over whom the Aryans ruled. During the course of centuries the Aryan nature deities lost much of their importance, and three new gods took their place: Vishnu, the preserver; Shiva, the destroyer; and Brahma, the creator. It was during this period of history that ancient India developed its distinctive caste system. This important book is an effort to search and overview the most important yet controversial period of Ancient Indian History. Graduate history students and researchers will find this book useful.